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of a past evacuated of history (history understood as a som ehow m eaningful account of the past) and a sig n a l o f th e a rtific e o f a n y s u c h a c c o u n t, a n y h is to ry . Iro n ic a lly , d e m o n ic a lly , th e d e n ia l o f th e p o s s ib ility o f a " re a l"

m im e tic a c c o u n t, o f a n y m a s te r n a rra tiv e , p ro c la im e d b y th e re le n tle s s s ig n a ls o f a rtific e d o e s in fa c t a n n o u n c e a n o v e ra rc h - i n g n a r r a t i v e o f-a

o n th e e x p e rie n c e o f change, of difference, d iffe 'r a n c e ,o f ru p tu re , th e b it, th e flic k e rin g im a g e , th e d ig ita l s o u n d , n o d o u b t m a s k in g a p o s tc o ita l e m p tin e s s , n o s ta lg ia , a n d th e lo n g in g fo r re p e titio n a n d re u n io n , s o a lle g o ry , w h o s e a rtific e , a t le a s t d u rin g th e b a r o q u e , w a s m o u rn fu lly re lis h e d , s u rre n d e rs to a rtific e , w h o s e a lle g o ric a l p o s s ib ility

a n d w ith th e ir re la tio n s h ip to m e m o ry u n d e rs to o d a s a s tru c tu ra l p re - c ip ita te o f a n y d ia lo g ic a l e n g a g e m e n t in w h ic h a c h a n g e o f p e rs p e c tiv e , o r th e illu s io n o fachange of perspective, occurs. This "new "

have been advanced, and, for the m ost part, as even the m ost superficial reading reveals, they are vague, over-general- iz in g , a n d c o n tra d ic to ry .' S o m e s tre s s e p is te m o lo g ic a l s k e p tic is m , h y p e r-re fle x - iv ity , a n d th e a rtific e o f a ll a c c o u n ts in c lu d in g th o s e w h ic h a rtic u la te a p e rd u rin g s e lf . O th e rs e m p h a s iz e p la y , la n g u a g e g a m e s , th e " lo g ic a l o p e ra tio n s o f c u ltu ra l term s"

of expression, in d e e d o f re a lity its e lf. A n d still o th e rs p o in t o u t th e a rb itra rin e s s , th e c o n v e n - tio n a lity , o f th o s e te m p o ra l c o n n e c tio n s th a t g iv e u s th e illu s io n o f h is to ry a n d c o n tin u ity a n d ta k e iro n ic d e lig h t in a s o rt o f p ro m is c u o u s q u o ta tio n a lis m

a u jo u r- d 'h u i c o n tin u e rao rg a n is e r la fo u le d e s k v e n e m e n ts q u i n o u s v ie n n e n t d u m o n d e , h u m a in o u n o n h u m a in ,"

by con- tem porary postm odernist critics, stresses reflexivity. C om m entary and its subject, criticism andi t ss u b je c t, m e ta la n g u a g e a n d p rim a ry la n g u a g e , a re e n ta n g le d a n d declared inseparable. T here can, as such, be no external vantage point for com - m e n ta ry , c ritic is m , in d e e d , re a d in g a n d p e rc e p tio n . W e a re c a u g h t w ith in th e p la y o f a rb itra ry s ig n s th a t a re lo o s e n e d fro m th e ir re fe re n ts a n d n o lo n g e r s y s te m ic a lly constrained by gram m ars of style, say, or narrative. (T he postm odernist debt to Saussure, as understood by the deconstructionists, is enorm ous.) N ot only is the a rb itra rin e s s o f th e s ig n in a n y a c t o f s ig n ific a tio n p a ra d ig m a tic a lly

sequence. The concatena- tio n o f s ig n s b e c o m e s a n iro n ic m o n ta g e , u ltim a te ly a s e lf-s u b v e rtin g c o m m e n t. In a rc h ite c tu re , w h e re a p o s tm o d e rn id e o lo g y h a s flo u ris h e d , th e ju x ta p o s itio n o f d is p a ra te s ty le s is n o lo n g e r ju s tifie d o n tra n s c e n d in g a e s th e tic o r d e c o ra tiv e p rin - c ip le s (a s w e re th e ju x ta p o s itio n s o f E g y p tia n , G re e k , R o m a n , a n d O rie n ta l m o tifs o n E m p irefu rn itu re ). W h e n P h ilip Jo h n so n c o u p le s im m e n s e v a u lts , re m in isc e n t o f S a b a s tia n o S e rlio a n d a s ta g e s e ttin g f o r g ra n d o p e r a , w ith a C h ip p e n d a le s c ro ll th a t re m in d s o n e o f th e s e c re ta ry b a c k h o m e , h e is m a k in g a s ta te m e n t a b o u t th e a rtific e o f h is p ro je c t, a b o u t its p la c e in th e" h is to ry "

of architecture, about his- to ry its e lf, a n d a b o u t th e c o n v e n tio n a lity o f a e s th e tic th e o r y . S o a t le a s t it c a n b e read, and is read, by the postm odernist reader.2

w itha n o th e r m om ent of s o c io e c o n o m ic o rg a n iz a tio n a n d c u ltu ra l a n d a e s th e tic o rie n ta tio n . It is d e fin e d a g a in s t th a t w h ic h

no longer prevail or are s o m e h o w irre le v a n t. F o r M a rx is ts lik e J a m e s o n , it is ro o te d in a " c o n s u m e r s o - c ie ty '' th a t d iffe rs s tru c tu ra lly fro m o th e r m o m e n ts o f c a p ita lis m (J a m e s o n 1 9 8 8 ).